Comment: This bill is entirely seperate
from the raft of legislation introduced on the back of the 9/11 commission.

As Americans continue to debate immigration,
they need to make sure that precious rights and freedoms are not abridged
by any new public policy that may grow out of the discussion.

That’s why we urge Congress to strongly oppose a proposal
by Rep. David Dreier, R-Calif., that would require all workers to have what
his Web site describes as a Social Security card with their picture on it.
It would "contain an electronic signature strip that contains an encrypted
electronic identification strip, unique to that individual."

Whenever you applied for a new job, your employer would
be required to verify you are a citizen or legal alien "via a phone verification
system, to be set up by" the Department of Homeland Security. Employers
not following the procedure would face fines up to $50,000 per occurrence.

Dreier’s proposal includes other reforms, such as
adding 700 more Border Patrol agents and a guest-worker program. His proposal
came in response to an effort by a local radio show to throw him from office
for what the hosts say is his support for high illegal immigration.

Dreier says his proposal wouldn’t impose a national
identification card. But what else would it be?

"It scares the hell out of me," remarked former
Rep. Barry Goldwater Jr.; he represented the San Fernando Valley in Congress
in the 1970s and is the son of the late Sen. Barry Goldwater. In the 1970s,
Dreier was an intern with the younger Goldwater.

In the late 1970s, Goldwater got Congress to pass a ban
on the use of Social Security cards for identification purposes without the
approval of Congress. Unfortunately, he said, Congress then immediately reversed
itself.

"I’ve always been concerned about a universal
ID card or system, somewhat like in Nazi Germany," he added. "That’s
scary. We value our privacy and freedom and are very concerned about the power
of the U.S. government. A universal ID number is easy to track and record.
You would need to tighten up the (Social Security card) system, to make it
foolproof. I don’t know who’s that smart."

We don’t, either. Computer hackers always seem a step
ahead of government bureaucrats.

Even more than the 1986 immigration law, Dreier’s
proposed system makes employers the enforcers, essentially acting on behalf
of the federal government on immigration control.

This is a bad idea. Employers are here to create products
and services for customers who want them, not to investigate immigration status
for the federal government.

Whether one supports open borders or closed borders, amnesty
or a guest-worker program, it would be a tragedy if this issue led to a reduction
in what attracts immigrants in the first place: our liberties and the prosperity
they bring.